Reckoning ~ Indian Hill 2 ~ A Michael Talbot Adventure (35 page)

“What about the rest of the city?” I resisted, but not too convincingly.

“We can work that all out later, right now we need to move.”

“Why don’t I just let them take me to the aliens and stop this madness now?” I didn’t really feel that I wanted to go to the aliens but it seemed like the right thing to say under the conditions.

“Captain you’ll never make it alive. The aliens never said in what condition they wanted you, just that they wanted you. If you give these people even half a chance, they’ll drop off what’s left of your body. If you decide to go to the aliens, they will more than likely not allow you to go on your own terms. Those five people are going to be back, and it will be a mob by then. Do you really want to chance your well being to a mob mentality?”

“Which way, Sergeant?”

“Finally,” the corporal muttered, just loud enough to make sure I heard.

Chapter 37

New York / Massachusetts State Line

Beth literally felt her fillings shake loose, partly from the G-force of the truck as the now rogue sergeant gunned it for all it was worth, but mainly from the concussion shock from the tank’s rounds.

“Oh my God!” Beth screamed. “I think my head is going to explode!”

“Well, let’s just be glad it’s only your head and not this truck,” Sergeant O’Bannon said as he realized they were finally out of danger from the tank rounds. Deb roused her head for a fraction of a second after the last volley, but managed only a sigh, as if she couldn’t be bothered with the events of the day.

The sergeant glanced over at Deb. “Is she going to make it?” he asked Beth in what he hoped was an appropriate tone, but under the circumstances, it came out more as a shout.

“Make it? She has to make it. She’s the only friend I’ve got,” Beth started to sob. In the excitement of their escape, she really hadn’t had enough time to dwell on the subject. But as the truck began to descend over the crest of the freeway, realization began to set in.

Deb already looked dead. Her eyes were sunken, and her skin was cool, cold to the touch. Beth couldn’t even be sure if Deb’s chest was still rising. And now she just wanted to be out of the truck and as far away from the whole scene as was entirely possible. The final volley of shots ringing out from the vanishing roadblock shocked her back into the here and now.

“We need to get her to a hospital!” Beth said as she turned to look at their rescuer. “Fast!” she added needlessly. The sergeant had already made up his mind by looking at Deb that she past the point of no return.

“There isn’t a hospital in working order on this side of the state line for fifty miles,” the sergeant said with concern in his voice. “And the way she looks, she won’t make it another ten.”

“I can’t let her die,” Beth sobbed, covering her face with her hands. “We’ve been through too much. She can’t just up and die, not this way. Not at least until she sees Mike again. She’ll…she’ll never forgive me,” Beth wailed on.

“Do you have a first aid kit in this truck?” the sergeant asked, trying to make Beth get a handle on her emotions. Beth kept crying.

“Listen!” the sergeant said as he grabbed Beth’s arm. “Do you have a first aid kit in this truck?” he asked a little louder. Beth was only able to nod her head in ascent as cries kept bubbling up out of her throat.

“Do you have a knife or something sharp like that?” the sergeant asked, seeing that Beth was again beginning to slip back into panic mode.

“T-t-t-two of them,” Beth stammered out, holding two fingers in the air to reiterate her point.

“There’s a rest stop not more than five miles. Get all the supplies you can find ready for when we get there!” the sergeant barked.

“For… for what?” Beth managed to stammer out.

“We’re going to operate,” the sergeant said matter-of-factly.

“Operate!? Can’t we just take her to a hospital? Or something?”

“
Or something
would be great right now,” the sergeant said sarcastically. “Unfortunately, right now,
or something
is us.” Beth redoubled her sobbing. “You had better get moving!” the sergeant said as he again shook Beth’s arm. “If you want any chance of saving your friend’s life.” Beth calmed down a little with the task at hand, the thought of operating on Deb, in a parking lot no less, was making her seriously uneasy, to say the least.

Beth had finished putting together what she hoped would be sufficient supplies for the impending operation. The truck was equipped with a fishing tackle box that contained a beautiful steel-finished Gerber fishing knife. Beth dragged the blade across her fingernail to see if it was sharp. Also, the box, for whatever reason, contained both needle and thread. Beth couldn’t imagine for what, but she could not help feeling that it was a good sign.

In addition, crammed way under the seat, was a bag of rags. They appeared to be unused from the condition of the Auto Zone bag. Again, Beth was immensely thankful to the powers that be. They even found a pair of tweezers in the tackle box, she wondered if it would be enough? There were no bags of blood lying around to make it a truly miraculous find. Beth found herself doing something she had not done since she was a little girl at the foot of her bed--she prayed. Only this time, it wasn’t for a pony or a new Barbie or even an Easy Bake oven.

No, she was praying for the life of the woman that sat next to her. A woman whom she once detested but who was now, far and away, her best friend, irrespective of Mike. A sharp pang hit her chest as she thought of his name but she quickly disregarded it. There would be time later to think of him. Right now, she had to focus everything on Deb.

The truck screeched into the rest area, however, they were not entirely alone. Beth saw at the far end of the lot what appeared to be a mini convoy of white panel vans. Trepidation rose in her heart. Since the invasion had started, strangers only meant one thing--danger.

“We have to find somewhere else to do this!” she said as she grabbed the sergeant’s arm.

“There is no place else,” he answered as he witnessed Beth’s distress. He was under the same notion; the four vans most likely, didn’t mean good news, but right now they were out of options. He planned to set Beth up to stand guard while he put his rudimentary first aid skills to use on Deb. He wasn’t sure what upset him more, the sight of those sterile white panel vans or the impending surgery.

He’d done some basic first aid in the field, even once going so far as to splint a man’s leg that fractured during a weekend excursion in the White Mountains. But nothing he had ever done before even remotely prepared him for this. Not to mention, the damned vans. Uneasiness oozed out of them. No, he thought to himself, that’s just my imagination. I’m just nerved up, he thought as he walked up to the restrooms.

Well, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about the doors being locked. Someone had kicked the door off its hinges, and it looked fairly recent. They hadn’t been kicked in; the wood was splintered in a hundred different places. Someone had driven their car up there and let it do the leg work for them, so to speak.

Beth was cradling Deb in her arms and stroking her hair. She felt that it was more for her comfort than Deb’s. Deb had stirred once or twice, it looked like any effort was draining for her. Beth looked over towards the vans and through the darkly tinted windows she saw the glowing ember of a cigarette that was pointed directly at her. She felt somewhat uneasy with just the prospect of what or who were in the vans and now that she was certain somebody, or some bodies, were there just staring at her, her distress increased tenfold.

“You had better lighten up on your friend’s head.”

Beth screamed out in surprise. The sergeant came up the other side of the truck and she had not even noticed. Meanwhile, her silent caresses had become more like delousing procedures.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the sergeant said apologetically.

“There’s somebody in that second van,” Beth said trying her best to not look over, but failing miserably.

“Well, I’ve spotted at least five people in three of the vans, and they haven’t said or done anything yet; so let’s just try to put them out of our minds and concentrate on your friend.” Even the sergeant thought his words sounded hollow, but the girl seemed to swallow it. “By the way, my name is Sergeant O’Bannon… Grady.” he said, extending his hand.

“Oh, huh? Yeah. I’m sorry. I feel like I’ve known you for years and I never even knew your name until now. I’m Beth and I can’t ever express how grateful my friend and I are for your help,” Beth said as she took the sergeant’s hand.

“Well, how grateful your friend is largely depends on how well I do right now,” the sergeant said, gesturing towards Deb.

“Her name is Deborah,” Beth said as she looked back down at her friend.

“Well, Beth, let’s get started,” the sergeant said as he glanced over at the vans again before he began to put on the rubber gloves he found in the first aid kit.

***

“The girl looks shot. Should we help?” The gravel faced man with the cigarette said. His passenger barely raised his eyes above the page that he was reading.

“What’s she to me?” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Nothing, I suppose,” the gravel faced man answered. ‘But seeing as you ARE a doctor, you arrogant little prick.’ He thought.

“Let’s go. This little drama is beginning to bore me,” the doctor said. The gravel faced man knew what side his bread was buttered on. He felt for the injured girl but he was nowhere as altruistic as the sergeant. He said a little prayer and put his van in drive. The rest of the team followed.

***

Indian Hill

“What was that?” Paul asked as he grabbed the edge of his desk to keep from falling over. Dust rained from the ceiling as the walls groaned from the shock. “I asked,” Paul yelled to his clerk, “what was that!” The corporal was about to answer that he didn’t know, when he realized that wasn’t the answer his colonel was looking for. The corporal immediately got on the radio, calling all the duty officers.

“Sir!” the corporal said as he stepped into the colonel’s office.

“Go ahead, Corporal,” Paul said nervously. He heard the corporal’s switchboard buzzing and lighting up and knew that this wasn’t going to be good news. He was learning, there were degrees of bad news he could tolerate, although definitely not enjoy. At least, he could keep marching forward. He hoped this was the case. He knew about the aliens in France. Had they somehow found out about this place?

“Sir?” the corporal asked again, realizing, quite possibly, that his colonel wasn’t all there at the moment.

“Uh yeah. Go ahead,” Paul said as he mentally shook his head to get the nightmarish images out of his skull.

“Tunnel two has collapsed.” Paul stood up like he was shot out of a cannon.

“Again? What happened? Is anybody hurt?”

“That’s the thing, sir, it seems that some sort of charge was planted and detonated.” Paul started to head out the door, and the corporal figured that the colonel was going to chew some serious ass. He was glad his last guard shift was over a week ago.

“Sir, there’s more.” Paul turned to look, eager to get out and learn the details for himself.

“Sir, Major Salazar and a few of his men were in the tunnel.” Paul wished he had never left his seat, because he suddenly needed to sit down.

“Are they dead?” Paul crossed his fingers, if only mentally.

“Nobody knows for sure, but rescue efforts have already started.” The colonel’s back was already fading away as the corporal finished his sentence.